Our Say: Pittman must lead on increasing public access to the water

The continuing public discussion about Beverly Triton Nature Park is driven by the issue of public water access.

County Executive Steuart Pittman has sided with Mayo Peninsula residents concerned about the impact of a regional park on their roads over advocates for a regional waterfront park. It’s a valid concern, the park is in a tight corner of a peninsula that won’t easily support growth.

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What’s missing from the debate is a clearly stated plan by Pittman for expanding public access to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. His recreation budget continues projects started under the previous administration, but there is no clear vision on this vital concern.

Historically, Anne Arundel County has had very little public access to the water. There was Sandy Point State Park and the Truxton Park boat ramp and a few other, largely secret, places to go if you knew how to find them.

It’s a similar situation around the bay. Anne Arundel County began to change this in 2014 with plans for a boat ramp at Fort Smallwood in Severna Park. It ended up being a hugely expensive project, largely because of the need for a breakwater to protect the ramp and the small boats that would use it.

A year later, a group of area residents unveiled a plan to create a dozen small access points — little waterfront parks that would be far less expensive and provide access for kayakers and canoers.

County Executive Steve Schuh bought into the vision and more, setting a goal of creating boating access on both shores of every major tributary in the county. And he turned his attention to the Mayo Peninsula, where the county owns what was then Beverly Triton Beach Park.

The backlash from area residents quickly put plans for a major upgrade on hold, and the 2018 election washed away what seemed like momentum for the idea — the word beach no longer appears in the name of the park.

Pittman is right to be concerned about the impact of more traffic and more people on a peninsula. His approach to parks so far, however, doesn’t prioritize the need for more water access for those who can’t afford a waterfront home. A sweetheart deal struck decades ago with some property owners who live next to Beverly Triton makes it seem worse than it actually is.

Across the South River in Annapolis, CRAB — Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating — hopes to create an accessible boating center in Annapolis. Anne Arundel County, first under Schuh and now under Pittman, supports this plan financially — as long as Annapolis takes ownership in case the nonprofit can’t pull it off financially.

That’s not good enough. The county has to do better, whether in the form of a waterfront park that is open to the wider public or a public boating center. Access to the water is a key part of Anne Arundel’s character, and the Pittman administration must show it can help make sure we can all enjoy it.